The Worldwide Authority In Bar Placement

GOMACO's In-The-Pan Dowel Bar Inserter (IDBI) system is the industry's most productive and compact system for the automatic insertion of dowel bars across a finished concrete slab. It is designed for installation onto a two- or four-track paver. The paving operation, bar insertion and finishing operations are all combined into one compact unit.

The IDBI is GOMACO's patented system of putting dowel bars into a concrete slab during the paving process. Our engineers have designed a complete system that is accurate and user-friendly, while assuring you, our customer, has a piece of equipment that can be adjusted to provide exacting tolerances for any job specification.

The In-The-Pan Dowel Bar Inserter is far superior to others on the the market for accuracy in bar placement location, productivity and meeting rideability specifications.

Over two decades, we have sent out field representatives and engineering and research teams to the job sites to study our dowel bar insertion process and make improvements to assure our system continues to be the most advanced and operator-friendly dowel placement method in the industry. Inspectors and civil engineers expect accuracy in the bar location in the slab and contractors wanted the process incorporated in the paver without huge transport and setup demands.

The IDBI does this. It fits under the paver's standard length, between the tracks, and does not require the massive rear extensions to the frame of the paver that some DBI's require.

The insertion forks on the new IDBI have been designed to provide the industry standard in bar placement accuracy. The fork design also reduces the amount of scarring on insertion and vibration consolidates and closes material around the inserted bars. A tamper bar, unique oscillating straightedge, paving pan and stainless repair the scarring in the slab.

The computer control system GOMACO has developed for the IDBI manages all the systems in an easy to understand display. The computer controls the timing and operations of the IDBI functions, including sending the trolley, positioning the IDBI in standby, and activation of the IDBI system for bar insertion.

Presetting and adjusting joint spacing for IDBI activation is easy to understand and simple to program. Bar inserters for longitudinal joints can be programmed and controlled through this same system. The operator has to know exactly where the IDBI is during the paving process and the touch screen for the IDBI menu was designed with that in mind.

Performing self-diagnostics and all programming is a simple task on the touch-screen system.

GOMACO has designed special software to allow smooth transitions from crown to flat slope and vice versa. The Power Transition Adjuster (PTA) in the front pan, the IDBI and the finishing pan are all synchronized to make the necessary adjustments as they reach specific stations in the transition.

GOMACO holds domestic and European patents on the bar-loading trolley, computerization program, and the In-The-Pan DBI.

GOMACO has proven its commitment to the automatic insertion of dowel bars through our years of testing and research. That is why GOMACO is the leader in the IDBI system and we will continue to bring our customers the best innovations in concrete construction equipment.

Warning! What Can Lie Beneath the Surface with Unproven DBI Systems

The GOMACO System does not drop the bars onto the concrete and then push the bars into the material. The IDBI bar-holding tray holds the parallel position of the bars and the fork design holds that position as the bars are inserted into the concrete slab.

On-the-go bar placement is necessary to maintain rideability in the paving process. The IDBI system travels with the paver during the insertion process. One of the purposes of the unique heel and toe design of the forks is to hold the position as the bars are placed transversely across the width of the slab.

The IDBI provides consistent depth of each bar across the slab to form a straight line in the end view of the pavement profile. There are many considerations in the dowel bar insertion process to assure consistent depth placement of each bar including amounts of applied vibration across the system. If there is excessive or insufficient amounts of vibration at crucial points in the insertion forks, radical positioning may occur. This can come from under-designed or over-designed systems. Our research and development teams continue to study mix designs and on-the-job results to fine tune the vibratory aspect of the system. GOMACO's exclusive, computer-controlled, smart-cylinder technology provides the state-of-the-art system to maintain the accountability of the depth of the bars in the slab.

Dedication To Accuracy & Reliability

GOMACO has taken its years of experience working with different methods, mixes and job-site conditions to design the ultimate tool for concrete paving with dowel bar insertion, a machine that will meet the strictest specifications. Several actual pours simulating job-site conditions were performed at the Ida Grove, Iowa, USA, test site. Bar positioning was continually checked and verified during the bar placement process. Our research and development teams have literally spent years perfecting the system. Core samples have proven the reliability, exacting bar placement and superior consolidation of concrete around the inserted bars. The IDBI has been used on several major projects, including interstate roads, railroad yards, and runways. Service is available through our distributor and our own manufacturing support for setup and training.

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The IDBI: Step By Step